WINNIPEG – Police have confirmed an officer shot a suspect during a confrontation near an Osborne Village gas bar Thursday night.
The shooting happened at about 9:20 p.m. after officers were called to investigate a suspicious person in the 300 block of Wardlaw Avenue.
“These officers were confronted by the suspect and as a result of that, were forced to discharge their firearm,” Winnipeg police spokeswoman Const. Natalie Aitken said at a news conference on Friday morning.
A 21-year-old suspect was shot in the upper body and later taken to hospital in stable condition, police said. No one else was injured.
Police said they can’t say whether the man was carrying a weapon, nor whether there was a robbery in progress.
There are a number of witnesses and the incident is being investigated by the force’s homicide unit, police said.
“Any part that led up to officers pulling a firearm or discharging a firearm is under investigation,” Aitken said.
The officer who fired the shot and his partner, both of whom have at least 10 years experience, have been placed on administrative leave, Aitken said.
“It’s unbelievable how quick something can turn for these officers,” she said. “That’s why we are being so cautious in terms of what we are releasing …
“These officers are making a decision in a split second and often on the threat that’s being presented.”
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